COUNTRY NEWS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8072, 13 October 1887, Page 6

COUNTRY NEWS.

[PROM OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT.] Hamilton, Wednesday Some member of the Domain Board will," is is to be hoped, move at an early date, "That something be done to utilise the sixty acres of land in East Hamilton, which was a year ago fenced in at considerable expense as a night paddock for the burgesses' cattle." As it is, it is of little use, but if cleared and worked during the early summer and sown with turnips and grass, the Bale of the crop to be fed on the land would probably pay a |l expenses and leave it a good pasture, which would be a source of income to the Domain Board. The clearing should be commenced at once, whilst labour is cheap and readily procurable. The price of labour six months hence, with a goldfield in full swing in the distriot, may render the matter leas prac. ticable than now.

Kihikihi, Wednesday. Mr. Rochfort has been building a house on the other side of the Puniu, in the King Country. Soon after thd contractors started work, the natives interfered, and threatened to burn the houSe down if it was erected. Mr. Rochfort, however, believing that he possessed a right to the land, disregarded the threat, and ordered the men to go on with the building. The natives have since returned and stopped the work. The mattei will be investigated by the authorities, who have been appealed to by Mr. Rochfort The contractors along the line, and else* where, I believe, also, have received com* municatione from the secretary of the Waikato Hospital Board, suggesting that on each contract a fund should be formed from weekly subscriptions by the men working upon it, from which the cost of accident patients sent to the hospital could be defrayed. These accidents are not of infrequent occurrence, and the cost of maintaining the patient comes heavy either upon the unfortunate individual if he has the means to pay, or upon the hospital if he has not, A very trifling sum from the wages of each man put by weekly would fully meet the requirements of the case, and any surplus left at the time the contract w<w concluded could be spent as directed by the men themselves, or returned.

Te Awamctc, Wednesday. Mr. Winstone, for 80 many years manager of the Bank of New Zealand here, will be much missed in Te Awamutu. No one grudges Mr. Winstone his promotion to the management of the Te Aroha branch, bat we are loth to lose him. Mr. Winstone has not only won the esteem and confidence of those having business relations with him, but during his long residence here has thoroughly identified himself with the welfare of Te Awamutu, taken an active and useful part in Church matter*, and assisted heartily in every social movement for the good and amusement of the public. He is succeeded by Mr. McJannett, from Ross. It is to be hoped that we shall have a fuller and more representative meeting on Saturday next, to discuss the matter of the altered railway time table. The people of this district do not object to being cut down to one train daily. What they do want is that one train shall arrive here in time for the mail to be received the same day it leaves Auckland.

[By TELEGRAPH. —OWN* CORRESPONDENT.] Te Aroha, Wednesday, A public meeting was held last night to consider the advisability of petitioning Par« liament to rescind the recent proclamation granting the control of the Waihou, Waitoa, and Fiako rivers to the Thames Harbour Board, and to have the conservancy trans* ferred to the Piak® County Council. A resolution to that effect was passed without dissent.

Hamilton, Wednesday. At a special meeting of the Public B«tha Committee held to-day the tenders received for enlarging the Hamilton West Baths were in excess of the engineer's estimate, and the matter was held over till the meeting of the Council on Monday evening. Although the natives have not interfered with Mr. L. Oussen's Maungakawa Road survey it is expected they will remove the pegs after the survoy party have left. This, however, will make no difference to the survey, which will be , complete without them, but It will form a protest on the part of the objecting natives. Ngaruawahia, Wednesday. The missing man Tretheway, who wan. dered from Mr. Martin's farm into the bash, was found yesterday evening none the worse.